The city of Dearborn, Michigan, defended its treatment of different religious communities Saturday after a federal lawsuit accused the city and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud of favoring Muslim holidays while failing to similarly recognize Christian and Jewish observances, The Associated Press reports.
In a statement responding to the lawsuit, a city spokesperson said Dearborn has faced criticism because of its diversity and “welcoming nature." The city said it “has a longstanding commitment to serving all residents fairly and equitably, regardless of faith or background."
“Our city has increasingly come under attack precisely because of its welcoming nature and the diversity of the people who proudly call Dearborn home," the statement said. “That will not change who we are. Dearborn will continue to uphold the rights and dignity of every resident and remain a city where everyone is treated with fairness, respect, and equal protection under the law."
The lawsuit, filed Thursday by Margot Cleveland, a journalist for The Federalist, alleges that Dearborn and its Democratic mayor used public funds to promote Muslim religious observances while declining to provide comparable recognition for Christian and Jewish holidays. The suit describes the city, which has more than 100,000 residents and a majority Arab American population, as having “been a hostile place for Christians and Jews."
It further alleges that “Hammoud has taken this hostility to the next level, openly conveying the message that Christians and Jews are not welcome in the city and are, indeed, second-class citizens."
According to the lawsuit, Dearborn spent $1,500 in public funds last year on Ramadan banners and another $5,000 on a crescent-moon display in Peace Park. The city's police department also sold Ramadan-themed shirts carrying its official emblem. The suit says the city did not similarly mark the approach of Easter or Passover.
Cleveland said she repeatedly sought equal recognition for other religious holidays but was ignored. The lawsuit asks a federal judge to award unspecified damages, declare that the city violated the Constitution and order Dearborn to comply with the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
The case also revives a dispute from September 2025 involving Hammoud and local pastor Ted Barham. Barham had criticized the city's decision to name a street after Osama Siblani, whom the lawsuit says had supported organizations designated as terrorist organizations by the US government.
Barham called the decision "quite inappropriate" and said it would be comparable to naming a street "Hezbollah Street or Hamas Street."
The confrontation at a City Council meeting later contributed to a November rally in Dearborn that drew conservative influencers. The lawsuit cites the episode as further evidence of tensions between city officials and critics of their policies.
Hammoud defended his position in comments to The Guardian published in November, saying, "People misconstrue my words and my frustration with an individual who is a bad faith actor in our community, and apply it to a whole faith, when everyone knows the city of Dearborn is a place where everyone is welcome - Christian or Jew or whatever your background."
Tensions with the Jewish community in Michigan have grown recently after Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic Senate primary over pro-Israel Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate who benefited from tens of millions of dollars in spending linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He now faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November.
His positions on Israel have emerged as a major concern for some Jewish voters in Michigan, which also has a large Arab and Muslim population. In a recent MS NOW interview, El-Sayed described Israel's military actions in Gaza as "bloodthirsty" and accused Israeli leaders of genocide.
In a separate interview with journalist Jim Acosta, he acknowledged that Hamas had committed war crimes while maintaining his accusation against the Israeli government.
El-Sayed has opposed unconditional US military assistance to Israel and has repeatedly declined to directly say whether Israel has a right to exist. In one interview, he described Israel's leadership as "as evil as Hamas."